West Seattle, Washington
28 Tuesday
In West Seattle Crime Watch this afternoon – police are investigating what they believe was a pellet-gun shooting along Alki Avenue SW. The victim was injured around quarter past 1 this afternoon in the 1500 block of Alki SW. Police have no victim or suspect description so far. We’re still checking for more info on this. (Update: We’ve heard from the victim in comments.)
This afternoon we also have reader reports from the WSB inbox, starting with something else in the Alki area:
DIAPER BAG FOUND WITH CAR PROWL LOOT: Althea reports, “A black Marc and Jacobs diaper bag was found this morning in an alley near my house. A bike and wallet were also found. The wallet was taken from my car and returned to me but we are still looking for the owner of the diaper bag. We live near Alki Elementary.”
CARS VANDALIZED: Tuesday night, acid was poured on cars near 47th and Charlestown, according to a neighbor who forwarded the report.
CAR PROWLS: Sara says 48th SW in Seaview was hit on Tuesday:
I saw the burglar at 2:45 am getting into my neighbor’s SUV. He had a silver sedan with curved or slanted back. I’m not a car person, but it looks a bit like either an older Pinto or a mid-’80s Ford Escort. It looked like a man, med build, tall, was wearing knit cap, leather jacket over sweater, and jeans. Couldn’t tell anything else. Had flashlight and was looking around inside my neighbor’s car while he left his own car running. Tapped on glass. He heard something and took off fast, heading south down 48th. Note: I should not have disturbed him. I should have called 911 while he was in car. Called police after and they were quick to respond, but we might have caught him in the act if I hadn’t disturbed him.
CRIME-TREND ‘DASHBOARD’: You might have heard about this in citywide news – announced yesterday, but we didn’t get a chance to mention it. The SPD “Crime Data Dashboard” is a new way to check crime trends and data. It’s explained in this SPD Blotter item; find the dashboard, filterable by neighborhood, here.
A tree-vs.-power-line situation has led to Seattle Police and City Light blocking off SW Orchard north of Dumar (map) until crews can get there to take care of the problem. They’re not sure how long that’ll take – could be a few hours. No crash involved, just a spontaneous problem, but we recall from past storms that this can be a trouble spot during wind and rain, so damage might have lingered.
Tunnel update just in from WSDOT: The newest monthly construction schedule from its contractor, Seattle Tunnel Partners, has slid another month. If this one holds, the tunnel machine will resume work on December 23rd, and if all goes well, the tunnel would open in April 2018. Read WSDOT’s update in full – including what’s happening near the access pit along the Viaduct – by going here.
(SCROLL DOWN for additional video that appears to show fire-setting)
Just in from Seattle Police – video showing a “person of interest” in two of the West Seattle arsons, near 35th SW and SW Morgan:
Detectives have obtained video footage of a person of interest in the first two fires on October 12th. In that incident, two fires were set near the 3500 block of SW Morgan Street. The footage, recorded shortly before 2:30 AM on the 12th, shows an individual dressed in black and carrying a black bag walking toward the bus shelter, where the first fire was set. The surveillance camera did not capture the individual’s face, but police believe the person is a white or light-skinned male. Detectives are hoping someone out there will recognize the person’s clothing or may have seen him in West Seattle around the time of the fires.
If you have any information about this person or this case, please contact detectives at 206-684-8980 or call 911.
Screen grab (click image for larger view):
If you’ve missed previous coverage of the arsons, full backstory is in our “where it stands” report from Wednesday, to which we also added our video of what Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis told the Morgan Community Association last night.
5:54 PM UPDATE: In the past hour or so, SPD has substituted in its blotter post a longer clip for the original :12 one you see above. This one shows the actual fire-lighting:
The photo is courtesy of Mayor Murray‘s office, forwarded by Holy Rosary School, which wanted to share the news that the former student visited this week:
This week, Mayor Murray paid a visit to Holy Rosary S.T.E.M. (Plus) School! The mayor attended Holy Rosary as a third grader in 1963 before moving to Lacey. While visiting, he was being filmed by a crew from Ireland, who is making a documentary about the Irish in Seattle. Mayor Murray was able to walk the halls and watch many students engaged in exciting activities. He met with a group of junior high students, and was impressed by their maturity and thoughtful questions.
In case you wondered, with the Irish reference – while the president of Ireland is visiting our area right now, the mayor’s HR stop was before his arrival.
P.S. If you’re not part of the HR community, you might notice something new in the school’s name. We asked registrar Kimberly Tish about it: “This year we have fully integrated the STEM approach into all areas of our curriculum. The (Plus) speaks to the focus on our Catholic Identity and our strong arts programs: art, music, foreign language (Spanish).” She adds that the school’s already accepting applications for next year.
(Western Grebes, photographed by Mark Wangerin)
With their red eyes, grebes look a little spooky. So the photo’s suitable for the season – which starts with pre-Halloween events tonight! They’re among our highlights from the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
HIGH-SCHOOL FOOTBALL: 4:30 pm at Memorial Stadium downtown, West Seattle High School vs. Chief Sealth IHS as the postseason begins. (401 5th Ave. N.)
WINE TASTING: German wines are in the spotlight for the weekly free tasting at West Seattle Cellars, 5:30 pm. (6026 California SW)
FREE FALL FESTIVAL FUN: 6-7:45 pm at High Point Community Center, with bouncy toys and more. Free. (6920 34th SW)
HAUNTED HOUSE: Also 6-7:45 pm at High Point Community Center, $2 admission – details in our calendar listing. (6920 34th SW)
PIANO JAZZ: Chris Kenji: Koto Jazz piano music, live at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), 6-8 pm. (5612 California SW)
TEEN COSTUME CONTEST AND FLASHLIGHT HUNT: 6:30 pm at Hiawatha Community Center, it’s the annual teen Halloween event – details here. (2700 California SW)
SOUND TRANSIT LIGHT RAIL FOR WEST SEATTLE? 6:30 pm at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center, the West Seattle Transportation Coalition hears from Sound Transit reps about where things stand looking ahead to next year’s ST3 ballot measure. (6400 SW Sylvan Way)
LOOK AHEAD! Days, weeks, months … we update West Seattle’s only comprehensive event calendar continuously. Click any listing to expand to a preview, and then click “read more” to see the full listing, with location, times, a map, more.
West Seattle Helpline wants to remind you that its 6th annual “Neighbors Helping Neighbors” dinner and auction is only three weeks away:
This event raises critical awareness, support, and funds to ensure that all of our neighbors have a place to turn when they need help getting back on their feet after a crisis.
This year, we’ll be featuring:
*A cocktail hour with live music, fun activities and a silent auction
*A three-course meal with beer and wine from local breweries and wineries
*A live auction including vacations and one-of-a-kind experiences
*Our famously competitive (and delicious) dessert dash!
It’s 6-9 pm Friday, November 13th, at The Hall at Fauntleroy. You can get your ticket(s) right now by going here.
9:24 AM: The major West Seattle item in today’s city Land Use Information Bulletin is the start of a comment period for Early Design Guidance on the four-story, 20-unit, no-offstreet-parking microhousing (Small Efficiency Dwelling Units) building proposed to replace the 95-year-old triplex (above) at 4122 36th SW. We first reported on this project when it turned up in the online files in July. This is going through Streamlined Design Review, so NO public meeting, but the public does have the chance to offer comments on the design via e-mail. Just one thing missing: The design packet is nowhere to be found online. The official notice from today’s bulletin warns that this is your only chance – deadline November 4th – to comment on the project, and explains how to do that, but we’ve checked various spots in the city’s online files (such as the project’s page on the Design Review website) and can’t find the design packet you’re supposed to be able to comment on. We’ve sent the project’s assigned city planner a note asking for it to be made available in hopes of adding it to this story.
9:38 AM: Planner Holly Godard has responded to our e-mail and says it “should be there shortly.”
9:44 AM: And indeed it has just appeared in the places where it should be (here’s the direct link). In some cases, you’ll find a Design Review packet online before the notice – note that the cover page for this one is dated September 30th.
10:13 AM: Added image from packet, by architects Alloy Design Group. Note that the Early Design Guidance stage does not show the final planned look – its focus is on the building’s shape and size, aka “massing.”
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
6:47 AM: No incidents in our area so far today. Metro has tweeted two bus-trip cancellations so far this morning, and one was in West Seattle:
Transit Alert – Rt 56 to Seattle due to leave 61st Av SW & Alki Av SW at 6:29 AM has been canceled.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) October 22, 2015
6:51 AM: And two more, this time with some advance warning:
Transit Alert – NB Route 55 to downtown Seattle due to leave California Av SW & SW Atlantic St at 7:18 & 7:43 AM has been canceled.
— King County Metro (@kcmetrobus) October 22, 2015
7:33 AM: We’ve skipped Traffic Throwback Thursday for several weeks, for various reasons. This morning, it’s back. We have a then-and-now pair of views that represent a followup of sorts. In a September 29th story, we featured this historic aerial view from the Seattle Municipal Archives, looking west over Luna Park and beyond in 1962:
One commenter asked about a comparable current view from Gatewood pilot/photographer Long Bach Nguyen. He saw that comment and took time to provide this photo:
(Click image to see larger view)
Finally today, on a quiet-so-far Thursday, we have the chance to publish it.
7:52 AM: Back to today’s traffic – heads-up for southeastern West Seattle, from SDOT via Twitter:
No visual but hearing of a crash at Highland Park Way SW & W Marginal Way SW. Use caution and expect possible delays.
— seattledot (@seattledot) October 22, 2015
8:13 AM: If you are headed this way from the north – you should know that two lanes are blocked on southbound I-5 at the exit to the westbound West Seattle Bridge, so 99 will be a better alternative until that’s cleared up.
8:46 AM: Two more problems: #1, mentioned in comments, there’s a port-truck backup. We heard a bit of that on the scanner but didn’t realize it was on this side – sounded closer to the downtown waterfront. #2, a crash is reported at 42nd/Findlay, and police and fire are heading that way.
9 AM: 42nd/Findlay is currently completely blocked, mostly by emergency vehicles.
No one appears to be seriously hurt.
Now that it’s October 22nd, 2015, movie fans point out, everything in “Back to the Future II” is “in the past.” 10/21/2015 is the date to which the movie’s heroes traveled, so there were special screenings nationwide on Wednesday, including one at West Seattle’s historic Admiral Theater. That’s where Sherri Chun took the photo, saying, “I ran into Marty McFly and Doc Brown tonight at Back to the Future!”
P.S. Leaping into the near future, The Admiral will be among the theaters showing “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” and if you’re still looking for early-premiere tickets for December 17th – go here.
Will Metro Route 120 be improved or damaged if it’s turned into a RapidRide line? That was arguably the biggest topic of Monday night’s meeting on the West Seattle Bridge-Duwamish Waterway Corridor “action report.” The meeting at the Sisson Building in The Junction followed up on the report’s September debut, which in turn fulfills a promise made by City Councilmember Tom Rasmussen in his final year of office, and responds to a push from the West Seattle Transportation Coalition in its priority-setting.
The “action report” includes 27 possibilities envisioned to improve getting around in the corridor. You can read through them here:
On Monday night, SDOT’s Bill LaBorde presented them to the light turnout, fewer than a dozen people, who as a result had time to ask questions as the presentation went by. Big questions about transforming Route 120 – a short-term priority (see page 8) – included whether stops would be consolidated as with other RapidRide routes – Route 54/55 to the C Line, for example. Also: Would the stops include curb bulbs, like the ones in Morgan Junction that lead to backups. And, with the narrowness of Delridge in some spots, will the big RapidRide buses really work? LaBorde said most of the project’s $43 million cost would go to street improvements; he believed bulbs would be studied carefully before any implementation, and he didn’t envision much stop consolidation beyond what already has happened on Delridge.
Another big topic: Low-bridge openings during commute times, and the city repeatedly getting turned down in its requests to find ways to at least limit them. The city is continuing to talk to the U.S. Coast Guard, said LaBorde, while pointing out that some sailings are tide-dependent and the tides are when they are. The city is looking at operational efficiencies for bridge openings, though, including ways the bridge itself might be able to get the job done more quickly. A study would be needed, he said.
Speaking of the low bridge, the five-way intersection at Spokane/Marginal at its west end, and the one at the bottom of the eastern Admiral Way hill, both came up. The former is in the action plan, the latter is not. And to the east, the need for the Lander Street Overcrossing – still on the drawing board, years after it was expected to be built – was stressed.
Along with the plan’s potential projects, Councilmember Rasmussen pointed out the city’s traffic-incident-management changes, forced by the fish-truck-crash debacle, and intended to ensure that traffic blockages in corridors like this one are dealt with as swiftly and efficiently as possible.
Some of the “action plan” items are tied to the Move Seattle levy on the November 3rd ballot. What happens if the levy is rejected? Rasmussen was asked. At the very least, he said, the projects would be sequenced in a slower rollout – if you want improvements, he said, there has to be money for them.
P.S. For an update on #26 on the list – possible light rail for this area via the future Sound Transit 3 ballot measure – come to the WSTC’s meeting tomorrow night (Thursday), 6:30 pm, at Neighborhood House’s High Point Center (6400 Sylvan Way).
A big development tonight in the Port of Seattle‘s plan to “modernize” Terminal 5 in West Seattle – and in neighbors’ push for a full environmental review.
The Port announced tonight that it will be creating an Environmental Impact Statement for the modernization project after all. It had not been planning on one – believing, as reps told the West Seattle Transportation Coalition in July, that while it would have bigger ships, it wouldn’t have bigger cargo volume. But neighbors had campaigned for an EIS, even placing roadside signs promoting a website that pointed to a petition, as reported here back in August:
Then, there were hints that the tide on this might be turning, including a mention at this month’s Southwest District Council meeting that a potential tenant with whom the port was talking would have needs beyond what had been anticipated when the port said it didn’t need to do a major review. And now tonight, port reps sent word of the plan for the EIS. A website is already live, with both an “online open house” that you can explore at any time – officially, tomorrow (October 22nd) through Nov. 23rd – and word of a “scoping meeting” set for 5:30-8:30 pm November 12th at The Hall at Fauntleroy. (The process is explained here.)
Shortly after receiving word of the planned EIS from community advocates (thank you), we also received a news release from port spokesperson Peter McGraw. We asked him a followup question on whether this was an indication an announcement of a tenant is imminent; his reply – “We continue to have discussions with potential customers.” You can read the full news release here.
5:44 PM: Thanks for the texts. The state ferry M/V Puyallup has been involved in what Washington State Ferries describes as a “search/rescue” situation off Alki Point. The U.S. Coast Guard says someone might have gone overboard and it’s helping search. The Puyallup’s one of the biggest ferries in the system and serves the Seattle-Bainbridge run.
6:05 PM: The Puyallup is continuing to sail slowly off Alki, changing directions periodically – it’s currently heading westward again, according to VesselWatch. Our crew sees the USCG helicopter circling, too.
6:31 PM: The Puyallup finally went on to Bainbridge Island. One person on board tweets that what/who they were looking for might just have been “a seal.”
10:10 PM: The USCG says the search was officially suspended before 8 pm after Puyallup’s captain confirmed no one was missing.
4 PM: Here’s what’s new in the arson investigation:
Investigators were back in Morgan Junction at midday today, hours after the 2:36 am recycling-bin arson, which has been added to the list of set fires that, as first reported here last night, now dates back nine days. But those investigators weren’t just taking another look at the 40th/Morgan fire that destroyed a bin and charred a fence. We saw them also examining this:
At mid-morning today, two nearby residents called our attention to that spot of burned vegetation on the same side of Morgan as the early-morning bin fire, about a block east/uphill. The SFD call log does not show a callout for it, but neither resident could recall seeing the damage before this morning. So far, Seattle Police haven’t officially added it to the list. But for the overall series of arsons, they are now widely publicizing the $10,000 reward listed on the signs we’ve been showing you – it’s now available for information that solves this fire-setting spree. Here are the locations shown on the map included in their updated SPD Blotter post:
As Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis confirmed to WSB at last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, the first fire was set in a trash can on the lawn of a vacant home in the 6500 block of 34th SW. The Seattle Fire log shows that response at 2:40 am Monday, October 12th. Today’s SPD Blotter update says another arson happened at the same time at a nearby bus stop on SW Morgan, where a burning box was found.
Then came the fires set beneath two cars parked next to each other in the 2700 block of SW Sylvan Heights Drive last Sunday morning.
One car’s owner told WSB that the fires were set in some kind of box placed under the cars. That fire callout was at 4:50 am.
On Monday morning at 3:16 am, SFD was called to a waste-bin fire outside the southeast side of the High Point rental-office building at 35th and Holly, a building whose other tenants include a mosque. Though the fire was put out before too much damage was done, you’ll recall it flared up 11 hours later, at 2 pm, bringing a huge response.
The flareup led to serious damage, especially to the building’s mansard-style roof.
Then came this morning’s fire in the recycling bin in the Morgan-facing driveway of a house in the 6500 block of 40th SW. Police responded quickly, as did SFD, but searching the area was a challenge because of thick fog. We just asked SPD again if there’s any hint of a description of a suspect, person of interest, vehicle, anything – so far, Officer Lauren Lovanhill told us, the answer to that is “no.” If you have any information that might help the investigation, don’t hesitate to call 911 or 800-55-ARSON. And in the meantime, consider taking steps to keep the arsonist(s) from finding an easy target – here again is the flyer that’s been distributed around the area, and was shared at last night’s WSCPC meeting:
You can also see it on SPD Blotter. SPD, by the way, says federal ATF investigators are working with them, and that they are checking other jurisdictions to see if anything else might be linked. So far, none of the fires have led to injuries.
ADDED 8:39 PM: Capt. Davis spoke to the Morgan Community Association‘s quarterly meeting tonight, talking about the arsons. No major new information but we recorded it on video so you could hear for yourself:
Seattle firefighters from Engine 37 also were there, and presented the type of information you see above, about keeping your home and its periphery clear of anything that might be a “target” for an arsonist.
–Tracy Record, WSB editor
(2013 West Seattle Junction Harvest Festival trick-or-treating photo courtesy Brian Presser of TouchTech Systems)
The slate is set for this year’s local business-district trick-or-treating:
*West Seattle Junction, noon-2 pm this Sunday (October 25th) during the Harvest Festival (co-sponsored by WSB, starting with “harvest activities” at 10)
*Admiral District, 3-6 pm Friday, October 30th
*White Center, noon on Halloween (Saturday, October 31st)
*Westwood Village, 5-7 pm on Halloween (Saturday, October 31st)
Lots of other Halloween-season events are also already on the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar, and our traditional one-pager showing them all together is in the final stages, so if you have an event coming up – whether kid stuff, grownup stuff, or all ages – please get us the info ASAP, editor@westseattleblog.com – thank you!
Less than a week after their Huling Bowl faceoff (WSB photo/video coverage here), West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth International HS meet again tomorrow, at the start of the prep postseason. The game’s at 4:30 pm Thursday at Memorial Stadium downtown.
(Foggy scene on the Sound, photographed from the Alki Trail by Don Brubeck)
Decisions, decisions! Many ways to spend your afternoon/evening. Do something you’ve never done. Maybe it’s on the list. From the WSB West Seattle Event Calendar:
LUNCH WITH SOMEONE NEW: Noon-1:15 pm, home office/coworking brown-bag-lunch meetup at West Seattle Office Junction (WSB sponsor). Talk about your project, your business … get inspired, or at least get some new feedback! (6040 California SW)
NEED AN ORCA LIFT TRANSIT CARD? 1-6 pm, your weekly opportunity in West Seattle – stop by Neighborhood House’s High Point Center. (6400 Sylvan Way)
WEEK WITHOUT VIOLENCE: The first event at Southwest Teen Life Center is 5-6 pm, a chance for reflection to honor loved ones lost to violence. (2801 SW Thistle)
FLY-TYING CLASSES: 6:30 pm at Emerald Water Anglers (WSB sponsor) – details here – check to see if there’s room! (42nd SW & SW Oregon)
MORGAN COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION: Live, work, play, shop in Morgan Junction? 7 pm in the lower-level meeting rooms at The Kenney (WSB sponsor), 16 items on the agenda – see them all here – from land use to art to politics to safety, just to categorize a few. (7125 Fauntleroy Way SW)
DELRIDGE DISTRICT COUNCIL: Live, work, play, shop, study in eastern West Seattle? 7 pm at Youngstown Cultural Arts Center, join reps from the area’s major community groups and organizations for the council’s monthly meeting. Topics include an update on the Delridge/Highland Park Neighborhood Greenway – now under construction – and the Port of Seattle’s Terminal 5 modernization plans. (4408 Delridge Way SW)
WORDSWEST LITERARY SERIES: If you haven’t been yet, maybe this is the night. 7 pm at C & P Coffee Company (WSB sponsor), this month’s WordsWest Literary Series lineup features Ruby de Luna and Stephanie Timm, on “Writing Meant To Be Heard (Literally).” Full details on the WW website; for even more backstory, check this out. (5612 California SW)
NEW TIME FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT FAMILY FRISBEE: 7 pm tonight at Walt Hundley Playfield, join West Seattle Ultimate Family Frisbee for the weekly pickup game at a new time. (34th SW & SW Myrtle)
IF IT CLEARS UP … LOOK FOR METEORS! Late tonight (technically early tomorrow), a meteor shower’s peaking over us. Alice Enevoldsen explains in this special edition of Skies Over West Seattle.
(Photo courtesy NOAA Fisheries, Vancouver Aquarium, “taken by UAV from above 90 feet under NMFS research permit and FAA flight authorization.” Mother ID’d as J16 with calf J50)
New information today about Puget Sound’s endangered orcas – thanks to an aerial study done via drone – and NOAA says, among other things, what they found brings “hope for the population.” Here’s the news release we received this morning:
A NOAA Fisheries research team flying a remotely operated hexacopter in Washington’s San Juan Islands in September collected high-resolution aerial photogrammetry images of all 81 Southern Resident killer whales that showed the endangered whales in robust condition and that several appear to be pregnant.
Photogrammetry is the science of making measurements from photographs and has proven to be a powerful method for understanding the health of whales and other wildlife. Researchers can readily identify individual killer whales from the distinctive shape of their dorsal fin and saddle patch from the air or water, allowing them to track the condition of individual whales over time. Following analysis, individual growth and body condition from this year will be compared to previous photogrammetric assessments in 2008 and 2013 to assess changes.
The thousands of photogrammetry images collected to date provide important baseline information about the condition of the whales as a warm El Nino climate pattern takes hold along the West Coast following more than a year of already unusually warm ocean temperatures. El Nino and warm ocean conditions have in the past led to declines in salmon, the favored food of Southern Residents.
(Four WS-relevant views; more cams on the WSB Traffic page)
7:28 AM: No incidents in/from West Seattle so far this foggy morning. But the Fauntleroy-Vashon-Southworth state-ferry run is without its largest boat again; M/V Issaquah is out of service for repairs.
7:38 AM: Crash reported at Fauntleroy/Raymond, blocking the northbound side.
7:51 AM: Update from WSF: “The Issaquah is out of service until further notice due to necessary repairs. The route will continue to run on the 3-boat schedule without the Issaquah’s sailings until further notice as well. Currently, the 7:55 am from Southworth, 8:15 am from Vashon, 8:45 am from Fauntleroy, and 9:20 am from Southworth are cancelled.”
8:05 AM: Just checked the Fauntleroy/Raymond crash scene. The vehicles are off to the side, so no traffic effects, though the SPD vehicles in the center turn lane might be a bit of a distraction. No injuries reported.
(WSB photos)
3:12 AM: A recycling-bin fire wouldn’t usually draw an immediate Seattle Police response – but the recycling-bin fire just after 2:30 am alongside a house on SW Morgan, just west of 40th SW, happened within a mile of the unsolved recent arsons.
The fire marshal has just arrived to investigate, and police we talked to on the scene emphasized it was too soon to declare this related, but they’re taking no chances – as we learned at last night’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting, three small fires, at least one in a trash container, are also being scrutinized in the ongoing investigation – those date back as far as October 12th, before the Sylvan Ridge car arsons last Sunday and the High Point office building arson on Monday.
There’s heavy fog in Morgan and Gatewood right now, complicating things for officers looking around the area (a searchlight was shone on our car as we headed away eastbound). We’ll update when there’s more information.
8:07 AM: The now-too-familiar sign is up on the charred fence by the burned bin – ARSON, with the hotline to call if you have any information for investigators – 800-55-ARSON. Or, call 911. (Photo added.)
By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
No arrests yet in the West Seattle arsons.
But new information did emerge at tonight’s West Seattle Crime Prevention Council meeting.
Southwest Precinct commander Capt. Pierre Davis said that in addition to the two major early-morning arsons Sunday and Monday – the two cars in Sylvan Ridge and the High Point office building – investigators are also looking at three earlier small fires.
Those date back to a trash can fire outside a vacant house on 34th near Morgan (photo above) on October 12th (but the list they’re focusing on does NOT include the “campfire” outside the former Red Star Pizza).
He also said that SPD and other agencies – including ATF investigators – are devoting a major amount of resources to solving this. And he distributed the arson alert that we published here last night after residents reported getting it via door-to-door visits from firefighters.
Aside from the high-profile arson investigation, the major crime categories “have taken a slight dip” lately, he added, particularly robberies, which he noted have dropped almost to zero since the arrest of “an individual who got picked up in one of our other precincts.” And he mentioned again that the precinct has a watch list of more than 80 repeat offenders, about 20 of whom have been arrested. Working with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office to be sure they stay in jail once arrested, though, is a challenge, he acknowledged.
The one specific category for which he offered numbers, burglary, is at 387 year-to-date, compared to 418 in the same period last year.
And then – seguing into “neighborhood concerns” – came the case of one specific burglary attempt that had happened just hours before.
By Alice Enevoldsen
Special to West Seattle Blog
There are currently eight active meteor showers over our heads (which is more common than it sounds), from which you can expect to see about 4 meteors per hour, though if you happen to catch the peak you might see as many as 30 per hour.
Around 5 am or earlier on the next three mornings — October 21, 22, and 23 — will be the peak of the Orionids Meteor Shower. Given good viewing conditions, you can expect to see about 10 meteors per hour, up to 20 meteors per hour during the peak times. These meteors will seem to radiate from just above and to the left (east) of the constellation Orion, high in the south:
(Radiant of the Orionid meteor shower. Starfield from Stellarium)
Around 6-6:30 am on October 22nd will be the peak of the Epsilon Geminids. You might see as many as 2-3 meteors per hour. Watch for these radiating from the constellation Gemini, just a little farther east and higher in the sky than the Orionids.
Also, 5:30 am-6:30 am on October 22nd is the peak of the Leonis Minorids, which adds up to another 4-10 meteors we might per hour before dawn on the 22nd. These will be radiating from the constellation Leo, about halfway up the sky in the east (great chance to look at Venus, Mars, and Jupiter as well).
The other five showers are even more minor, each with rates of between 1-3 meteors per hour, though some of those can be fireballs/bolides. The American Meteor Society has a report of a fireball from last night, which could easily be one of these meteors. Those showers are the Southern Taurids, the Gamma Piscids, the Eta Taurids, the October Luncids, and the Tau Cancrids.
To set your expectations for the coming evenings, with these three showers happening at the same time we have a chance at a few very nice shooting stars this week, especially if you’re up early in the morning watching the skies. This isn’t one of the biggest meteoric events of the year, but meteor showers vary.
RESOURCES
Meteors: Meteor Activity Outlook October 17-23 (All dates and times are from this source).
Stellarium: free planetarium software for your home computer, or Android device. Bring up the sky for anywhere in the world, any time and date in history or the future.
Clear Sky Chart: the astronomer’s forecast for the next couple days. Cloud cover, darkness, and “seeing” which is how nice it is to view the stars, all on one handy chart.
WHO IS ALICE?
The suggestions and opinions put forth in this article are Alice’s own and not those of any organizations to which she belongs. You can find more about astronomy from Alice at alicesastroinfo.com or on Twitter as @AlicesAstroInfo and Facebook.
(Added 6:21 pm: WSB photos)
4:50 PM: Police are dealing with a possibly armed person in crisis at a residence in Arbor Heights, and as a result, they’re blocking off traffic, including SW 106th – we’re not sure exactly how far west of 35th, but avoid the general area.
5 PM: Our crew checking on the nearby road closures reports helicopter activity. First it was Guardian One, then a TV helicopter.
5:13 PM: We still have a crew in the area watching for word of a resolution to this. They and others are being kept at a distance. Again, SW 106th is blocked off for several blocks from 35th west.
5:19 PM: The person is reported to have come out of the house and is in custody. An ambulance is going in. That doesn’t mean anyone’s been hurt – usually in situations like this it’s so the person in crisis can be evaluated.
5:30 PM: The person who came out of the house is being placed in the ambulance.
5:40 PM: Our crew at the scene just talked to SW Precinct Lt. Alan Williams, who says they’re still sorting out exactly what started all this, but they hope to have the area opened up again shortly. A relative has been allowed into the house to make sure three dogs in there are safe, and police have been dealing with parents arriving to get their kids at a nearby day care that was being “held in place” until everything was resolved. They also are reported to have retrieved what was described as an inoperable .22 from the house. Again, no injuries reported to anyone in the situation. Police deal with things like this more often than you might realize; we’re reminded of an incident in Gatewood we covered just nine days ago, also resolved without injury.
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